Safe vehicles save lives as digital technology becomes increasingly embedded in vehicles

Brake — the UK charity that campaigns for safer roads — is calling for life-saving technology to be mandated for all new vehicles in the UK in line with vehicle legislation that has been introduced in the EU.

The charity — which is behind the annual Road Safety Week (16 — 22 November 2025) — says there is: 

...no good reason for any new vehicle to be built without the latest-generation, life-saving vehicle safety technology outlined in the General Safety Regulations. Now it’s time for us to raise the standard in Britain and make all new vehicles as safe as they can be, with mandatory safety features that are known to prevent deaths and reduce serious injuries, such as intelligent speed assistance, automated emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance.

It’s an interesting intervention that highlights how legislation often has to play catch-up with innovation. But putting aside the legislative urgency for now, Brake’s intervention also highlights how digital solutions and connected technology are increasingly being used to save lives.

What’s more, fleets aren’t waiting for technology to be mandated or for manufacturers to hard-wire it into vehicles. Instead, they are turning to solutions such as Samsara’s Connected Operations Platform, where plug-and-play technology can be retrofitted to lorries and vans in minutes to create data-driven fleets. Why? Because as soon as the tech is switched on, fleets start to gain visibility into driver behavior.

Visibility is crucial to safer roads

After all, if operators can’t see how vehicles are being driven, how can they hope to reduce risk? Today’s modern IoT-powered fleets provide a real-time view of driver behavior — from speeding and harsh braking to seatbelt use and distracted driving — so managers know exactly where any problems lie.

Paul Cerexhe, Director of Logistics at civil engineering company FM Conway, which runs a 1,000-strong fleet in the UK and has seen a 21.9% drop in accidents since installing Samsara, said: 

We didn’t know how good or bad drivers were before — we had to rely on feedback from incidents or the public. Now we can see that information in real time. One of the best things is seeing drivers go from a poor to a good rating very quickly,

If visibility shows where the risks are, then real-time alerts stop them from turning into something more serious. AI dash cams and in-cab alerts detect behaviors such as phone use, tailgating, or fatigue and warn drivers immediately.

Andrew Sharp, Transport Shift Manager at catering giant Delifresh, is a big fan of Drowsiness Detection Alerts said:

In one case, a driver was nodding off and the camera picked up standing traffic ahead. Without the alert that woke him in time, he would have run into those vehicles.

Shaping safer behavior through coaching

But if you’re looking for real, long-term change, then data is the key to success, helping to pinpoint incidents — real or potential — share feedback, and support drivers to improve habits.

For civil engineering company Cappagh Browne, results came quickly. Within a year, the company cut at-fault accidents by 88%, reduced adverse behaviors by 95%, and improved safety scores by 68 points. Positive reinforcement and driver coaching can lead to a cultural shift where safety becomes the number one priority. And it needs to be a priority.

Brake’s figures show that around 1,700 people die on UK roads each year, with a further 30,000 suffering serious, life-changing injuries. That alone should be enough to drive action.

But there is also a financial benefit too. Fleets that invest in safety aren’t just saving lives, they’re also reaping business benefits such as lower insurance premiums, fewer claims, less downtime, improved fuel efficiency, and stronger driver retention. In other words, good safety is good business.

The penny-dropping moment for many C-suite executives is when they first see footage of their drivers either using a mobile phone or struggling with fatigue. Confronted with evidence — many for the first time — it becomes impossible to ignore the scale of the problem. And the impact can be immediate.

For some leadership teams, it sparks decisive action leading to immediate investment. For others, it takes longer to process, because improving safety isn’t just about installing technology, it’s about changing behavior across an organization.

Good safety is good business

And that is where the conversation changes gear. Safety is not an isolated issue. It sits at the heart of business change. The same connected technology that prevents accidents also drives efficiency and improves productivity. And what begins as a safety initiative often evolves into a more encompassing process of business transformation.

That means using data to create organizations that are not just safer, but more efficient and more resilient. For fleets that embrace it, safety becomes not just a compliance exercise but a catalyst for long-term change.

If nothing else, Road Safety Week is a reminder that the drive toward safer vehicles is far from over. Brake’s call for stronger regulation highlights the urgency, but the fleets already embracing digital technology show what is possible today. By combining innovation with cultural change, operators can save lives, strengthen their businesses, and help build the safer roads that Road Safety Week champions every year.